last year there was reception and with the theme this year being Metropolis i'm wondering if this is going to expand (shudder). i heard of some playa Apps last year and figure that's only grown this year:

I hope the equipment to provide cell coverage gets forgotten or gets annihilated in a playa dust storm. If they keep providing reliable cell phone coverage it's only a matter of time till someone hauls an old TV transmitter out there...that's the last thing we need.

The Black Rock Desert should stay a klystron free zone and the same goes for supercows. Don't need no stinking super cell on wheels sites hauled up 447.

Kinetic V ~~~~~~I bring order to chaos. And I bring chaos to those who deserve it, wherever that may be.

I got at least 4 of those texts before my battery went dead. It was a limited range texting service and a trial of sorts set up by some first time burners. The idea was to test to see if short range texting services could be set up and function to provide a service for the citizens of BRC and as a test to see if it would be useful for disaster sites and refugee camp management communication. I kind of regret that I did not become part of it. Where I was at there was no ATT signal at all but at least one other person's cellphone worked in camp off a different carrier.

Black Rock City Welding and Repair. The Night Time Warming Station.

Card Carrying Member BRCCP.

When you pass the 4th "bridge out!" sign; the flaming death is all yours.-Knowmad-

We did have Verizon voice on the playa. The only reason we knew was Larry was keeping in touch about his sister going into emergency surgery. Turns out it was ovarian cancer; she died in March. So it was a needful, but unexpected, service for us.

AntiM, my condolences to Larry. I'm very sorry to hear about his loss.

I had 4 bars on my phone for most of the week, but was not able to actually get a call out. They seemed to be going, but the line just hung there. I felt that cell service on the playa would change the event forever and as much as I was unhappy with the idea of service on the playa, I was out in the street a few times trying to make a call.

Like in every shopping mall where you see half the people either on the phone, or frantically texting, I was worried that this is what the playa would turn into. Social connections are only done in the default world with people who are your "friends" and real humans around you are ignored.
It would be a good thing if cell service stays off the playa, but possibly have a small area near center camp where emergency calls could be made.

I'd rather not see service, but if there was one sweet spot, that would be a good thing to know. A cell phone ghetto.

Larry uses Verizon because he makes calls from odd places in his truck, that red map in the advertisements serves him well. He get reception in areas where the drivers using other services can't connect.

I was in the bank, standing in line, and there were three tellers working. That is, they were supposed to be working. But all three customers were jabbering on cell phones, keeping the tellers twiddling their thumbs. "My kingdom for a pocket-size jammer!"